Episode 7: Orientation
by talli.b
Summary: Episode 7 of the Season 3 fan fiction, "I'll Always Find You".
1. Chapter 1

A/N: There's been some confusion about where the Ark is located, and since I'm not sure when I'll be able to work it into the story, I thought I'd just let you know. It's not in the basement of Zeira Corp. I can see how some (or all) of you might have thought that, but it's actually located somewhere else. I was going to work it into Episode 6, Chapter 5, but it just didn't happen. There's no specific place. It's not in the middle of nowhere (because that would be noticeable), but it's not necessarily in the middle of L.A. It's located in more of a suburban area, just on the outskirts of the more urban part of L.A. And, of course, it's located underground.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters or this show.

* * *

After being excused, Allen instantly went in search of Weaver. He found her in the lobby downstairs. He didn't even try to hold back his anger.

"I'm a decorated Colonel in the United States Army and you expect me to respect a teenage boy who hasn't even been alive as long as I've been in the military? This has to be a joke!"

"I assure you, Colonel Allen, that this is not a joke. And yes, I do expect you to respect General Connor."

"Oh, so now he's 'General Connor'."

"Well, obviously, you respond to the title of a man, so yes, he is now General Connor. I warned you the job would be difficult and at times out of your comfort zone, but you agreed nonetheless. You have signed the contract as well as the confidentiality agreement, so we are currently at a standstill. I cannot allow you to rescind on our agreement. So if you'd like, I could reassign you. We could use a maintenance and janitorial man. You could be that man. The agreement was that you would work for us, not that you'd work for us as a Colonel."

Allen shot daggers at her, but she didn't back down. After a long, agonizing silence he replied bitterly, "That won't be necessary. I'll meet with the General now."

* * *

"How long will we be gone for?" Savannah asked Ellison as she placed a pile of shirts in her suitcase.

"Um, I'm not sure Savannah. But your mommy said that you should just bring your favorite clothes and toys."

"Oh. Okay." She shrugged and picked out two pairs of her favorite tennis shoes. "I really liked playing Monopoly with John Henry. Do you think we could bring that with us?"

"I'll make sure it makes it to wherever you are. In fact, your mommy said that John Henry would be coming with you, so maybe he'll bring it with him." Ellison made a mental note to himself to not depend on John Henry doing so.

"Oh! I didn't know John Henry was gonna be there! Then I better bring more games to play with him. And books. He loves when I read to him."

"Do you read to him often Savannah?"

She nodded her head. "All the time. First I read Wizard of Oz to him because mommy read it with me and she said it was one of her favorites. I've been reading Alice in Wonderland to him though lately."

Hearing the details of the relationship that had built between the little girl and the AI was intriguing to Ellison. He had known that they had spent time together, but he hadn't really thought about how the two were relating to each other. The idea that they were teaching each other things and actually spending quality time together was a foreign idea to Ellison. Sure, he'd spent time with John Henry, but that had been for research purposes only. Admittedly, he found that he enjoyed some of his conversations with the AI, but more often than not, he'd left with an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach. Perhaps knowing what the future held and that John Henry could possibly play a part in that had blinded him to seeing the potential in John Henry. He had always been insistent that his interest in working with John Henry stemmed only from the belief that in order to defeat the machines, you needed to understand them. Somehow along the way, though, his work had become more about teaching John Henry and preparing him for whatever Catherine Weaver had planned for him. This disturbed Ellison in more ways than one.

"Mr. Ellison? Mr. Ellison?"

Ellison realized that Savannah must have been trying to get his attention, which he aptly gave as soon as he came to his senses. "Yes, Savannah?"

"Can we go by the bookstore on the way? I want to get some more books. We're almost to the end of Alice in Wonderland."

"Of course, Savannah, of course we can." Ellison patted her on the back in assurance as she returned to her packing.

* * *

Allen had been instructed to meet John in his quarters. The door opened immediately following his knock upon it and he was surprised to find no one there. Instead, he saw John sitting at his desk directly across the room working on the laptop that sat in front of him. There were two empty chairs located on the side closest to Allen, facing John. The girl, Cameron, was standing beside John watching over his shoulder at whatever he was doing. No one said anything, so Allen took a chance and walked into the room. He stood slightly behind and in between the two chairs, not presuming to be allowed to actually sit.

Without glancing up John said, "At ease, soldier. Please sit."

Allen sat down on one of the empty chairs and waited for John to speak or for a cue to speak himself. He had decided on the way over that he would study this young General closely. He'd find a weakness and use it to his advantage. He figured it wouldn't be that difficult. He's young, he must have a multitude of weaknesses just ripe for the picking.

A long while passed as John continued working on whatever it was he was working on. Maybe five, ten minutes later, he finally closed his laptop and looked up at Allen.

"I apologize for that. I just arrived today, so there's a lot to take in. Thank you for coming to meet with me."

Despite the politeness in his words, John's voice conveyed a tone of authority and almost...boredom. _Great. This kid doesn't even want to be here._

"For now, I just wanted to introduce myself personally and give you a general overview of what we're doing here and what to expect. First off, expect to be surprised. A lot. There's no exact job description here. For any of us, really. I guess you could say we're like the C.I.A., Black Ops division, of course. We obtain information and act in accordance. We eliminate threats as they arise. There's a bigger picture, I assure you, but that will be revealed within time. We have access to some of the best and state-of-the art resources. Have you met John Henry?"

"No. Who's he?"

"He's what you might call our Research and Information Technology guy. He can find almost anything out for you. Often in his research he'll stumble upon something that he deems necessary to follow up on. If he asks you to do so, I expect you to listen. If his request clashes with an assignment I've given you, though it shouldn't, come to me and I'll determine which takes precedence."

"Why wouldn't it clash? If you don't mind my asking...you just seem awful sure of that."

"John Henry knows everything. Or at least more than anyone or anything else in the world. He knows the name of your second grade teacher. He'll know if you have been given an assignment from me."

"Well then, I look forward to meeting this John Henry of yours."

With a slight smirk, John said, "I'm sure you do."

There was a long pause before John spoke again. "I'm sure you're wondering why someone my age has been put in charge of this division."

Allen didn't respond, he merely stared expectantly at John, waiting for him to continue.

"I thought so. The truth is, at this point I can't give you a satisfactory answer. Let's just say that what we're doing here, I've done this my whole life. It's ingrained in me. I am one of two people who are able to do this job, and unfortunately it falls to me. I assure you, Colonel Allen, this is the most important thing you will ever do in your life." Until now, John had been staring, unblinkingly, at the Colonel; but now his head is turned to the side, as if he's trying to make a decision on whether to continue or not.

Without turning back, he simply says, "You're dismissed Colonel. I'll send for you once I've established a plan of action."

Allen considered asking him whom the plan of action was directed towards, but instantly thought better of it. Instead, he got up from his seat and headed out of the room. Before he reached the door, however, he turned around and asked John "Who's the other person?"

"I'm sorry?" John's attention was now back to the older man.

"The other person who is able to do this job."

"Oh. My mother. She taught me everything I know."

With that, Allen left the room even more confused than he had been before he entered it.

* * *

Weaver returned to Zeira Corp to meet with Alex and Xander Akagi. They were waiting for her in her office once she arrived. "Gentlemen, I apologize for my tardiness. I was at the Ark, and my work there took longer than I expected. I hope you weren't waiting for too long."

"No, not too long," Alex assured her.

"Good. Now down to business." The terminator sat down across from the father and son. "I promised you a transfer to Project Babylon once Project Ark was completed. You've held up your end of the bargain, not it's my turn."

"Project Babylon?" Xander questioned.

Weaver turned her attention to the younger man. "Project Babylon is a project dealing in artificial intelligence. Is that not your primary interest?"

"It is, it is," Xander confirmed.

"Then if you gentlemen would follow me, I'd like to introduce you to someone."

The two men followed Weaver down to the basement into a room they'd never been in before. Sitting at his table in the middle of the room was John Henry.

"John Henry," Catherine said, capturing the machine's attention.

"Hello, Ms. Weaver," he said with a grin, "Mr. Alex Akagi, Mr. Xander Akagi, hello to you both as well."

Without so much as a glance in the two men's direction, Weaver introduced them. "Gentlemen, I'd like you to meet John Henry. Our very own artificial intelligence being."

* * *

As soon as the door closed and locked behind Allen, John breathed a sigh of relief. He hated being the calm, collected leader. But he knew that in order for Allen and the rest of his team to trust and respect him, he had to be just that.

"It'll get better," Cameron said, seemingly reading his mind.

"What'll get better?"

"Soon you'll be able to relax around them. The whole point of John Connor leading the Resistance is that his soldiers and civilians alike can relate to him. They feel like he truly cares. Like you truly care."

"Cam?"

"Yes?"

"In the future, what is it like between us?"

"What do you mean John?"

"I mean, how close are we?"

"I spent much time by your side. More than any other human or machine. We were often quite close to each other."

"I don't mean physically." _On second thought…_ "I mean, did I talk to you like I do now? Do I ask for your opinion a lot?"

"Yes. You ask for my opinion a lot. I am a highly advanced strategic and infiltrative unit. I am a useful resource."

John, still not satisfied with her answer, pushed further. "But do I talk about things with you? About my day, about what I'm thinking?"

"Yes John, you did." She tilted her head slightly. "I think I understand now what you mean by asking me if we were close. We were. In fact, before I left, I was the only one you were talking to anymore. There were rumors that you had died, that I had possibly killed you."

"Why didn't I talk to anyone?" John was alarmed, hearing this for the first time.

She took a moment to answer, which was always suspect to John. He knew it didn't mean she was formulating a lie. She could easily and quickly respond if she was lying. No, when she paused like this, she was contemplating whether to tell him the truth or to simply tell him that it's one of the things that he can't know.

"It was difficult for you to deal with the war. You cared so much. And every day, soldiers were dying. And every day you had to face the family of those who had not returned. Yet they still followed you. They still believed in you. And most days you couldn't understand how they could possibly continue in that belief. You couldn't understand how they could not hate you. It tore you apart, it compromised your judgement."

"But isn't that what everyone keeps saying makes me this great leader? The fact that I care? How could I just cut myself off from everyone?"

"You had to. You had gone too many years without anyone to turn to, and it was taking a toll on you. You never said this, but I suspect that you sent myself, and Derek to some degree, back to you in hopes of having someone during those dark times. By the time I met you, you were too far gone. The nightmares had taken root in your mind and nothing I or anyone could do could keep them away. At least not for long."

This new information was overwhelming to John. After awhile of contemplating everything Cameron had just told him, something occurred to him.

"Did we ever…were we…did we kiss or anything?" He knew how lame that sounded, but he wasn't exactly sure how to broach the subject.

"No, John. Though there were rumors about that too."

He scoffed, "I'm sure there were."

"You never would have taken advantage of me John. And you know as well as anyone that I was not ready to understand what any of that meant back then." Cameron took a step towards John, who was still sitting in his desk chair. She ran his short hair through her fingers, cradling his head in her hands.

"But you understand now?"

"I understand more." She bent down to place a chaste kiss on his lips. "I understand enough."

And that was good enough for John. He slowly stood up and leaned her against the desk, which she obligingly moved to sit on. He hungrily consumed her lips with his, rediscovering the heat from earlier that had not entirely disappeared. It had been hiding, and John easily found it in her kiss. His hands roamed up and down the sides of her body, wanting to touch every inch, but finding it impossible to do so.

He was pleasantly surprised in her response. She moaned quietly into his mouth. He was sure she had picked that up from watching the romance movies she had mentioned before, but he told himself that it was a genuine reaction that he had summoned from her. When his hand glided over her left breast, it elicited another groan, this one louder than the first. Not wanting to waste any time, he picked her up as she wrapped her legs around him and he carried her to the bed. He vaguely and momentarily registered the fact that the bed was probably the most comfortable bed he'd ever laid in, but the thought instantly vanished as she began to pull his shirt off.

As her hands began working on unbuttoning his pants, the full realization hit him that he was going to have sex. For the first time. With a cybernetic organism.

And he wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

A/N 2: Sorry guys, I'm keeping this PG-13/T, hence teh fade to black.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: So I just realized in this chapter that there are now two characters named Alex. Akagi and Chola. I borrowed the name from CJ, but it worked for him because he did not incorporate the Akagis into his story. I'll leave both, but I'll try to use Mr. Akagi or Alex Akagi (or maybe "that guy over there") whenever referring to him, and simply Alex when referring to Chola.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters or the show.

* * *

Adrian Wexton does not like technology. He doesn't hate it, but he doesn't especially like it either. He prefers pencils and pens to a keyboard. Prefers paper to a disk or a hard drive.

It's not that he doesn't understand technology, because he does. He can Google. He can type up reports. He can look up information on Wikipedia or really any web site. In fact, he can even hack into restricted web sites. But he prefers the tactile representations of this information. Of all information.

So in his studio apartment, there are no art pieces on the wall. Instead, there are hundreds of papers, photos, and note cards pinned up.

He is dedicated to his job. Even if he doesn't fully understand what his job is.

He eats take-out, he never cooks. The only things in his refrigerator are leftovers, condiments, and beverages, most importantly of which is a case of beer.

But on nights like this, he prefers the harder stuff. Scotch.

Because tonight is the first time in his life he is truly stumped. There hasn't been one sighting of any of his targets since they were last seen as Tyson Dawes' house. Tyson Dawes has not even been seen.

It's important to Wexton to know what drives those whom he is tracking. But he doesn't know this. He was promised full access to all of the information that his employer possesses, but he's sure that he doesn't. He's sure of this because he has no idea why these people, the Connors and their allies, were even at Dawes' house.

Wexton grunts in frustration and throws the still half-full glass of scotch against the wall.

He knows this action does not bring him any further to success, so he immediately begins rehashing all of the information he does have.

Sarah Connor. John Connor. One un-identified female assumedly around 23 years old. She was involved in a bank robbery with the Connors about 9 years ago. Apparently she's stuck with them since. Two unidentified males, one of which was captured and eventually was rescued.

The question is what is so important about these people? The one question he had could not be answered by the files given to him.

So he turned to Google.

The first link took him to an article on a mass prison escape from a few weeks ago. Wexton vaguely remembers hearing about it on the news. He never really watches the news, he just keeps it on low while he's getting ready for the day. But now that he has made this connection, another pops into his mind. Sarah Connor. It couldn't be….

He scrolled down through the article and found what he was looking for. He whispered aloud the important bits. "Sarah Connor…terrorist…blew up Cyberdyne Systems…Miles Dyson died in the explosion…admitted to Pescadaro…escaped…attempted to rob a bank…was believed to have died in bank explosion…kidnapped the daughter of Zeira Corporation founder Catherine Weaver…police apprehended the fugitive…mass jail break…security system hacked…."

He got the idea. So this was the Sarah Connor he'd been hearing about intermittently in the news over the past 15 years or so. And now he was being asked to find her. She was possibly the world's most difficult target, and now she was his new adversary.

He couldn't wait to get started.

* * *

John had been asleep for 1 hour, 23 minutes, and 12 seconds. Cameron had not looked away from him once since. In fact, she hadn't removed her gaze from him since he had begun kissing her so fervently. She had been trying to process what had happened. She knew the mechanics of what had transpired between herself and John, but she knew there was much more to sexual intercourse than just the mechanics. She'd gleaned this from observing human behavior, both in person and via the television. Sex was supposed to mean more. But she was at a loss of words for what that meaning was.

She did know that John had looked at her differently than he ever had before he had drifted off to sleep. He had been exhausted before their joining, so he was beyond exhaustion afterwards. She couldn't classify the look, though she continued to contemplate it long after the look had disappeared from John's face as he gave in to sleep. She compared his expression to that of others she has seen him make, and was about to admit to herself that there was none to compare it to, when she stumbled upon her answer.

It wasn't exactly the same, but the similarities were more abundant in this one look than any of the others. They were in the future. Not Cameron's future, but the future they'd been in just a few short weeks ago. Cameron was laying down, and as she looked up, she saw John. He was staring at her, with an expression on his face that she, like now, could not read.

And as Cameron replayed the scene back in her head, an explanation for both expressions was revealed to her.

"_I knew you'd find me."_

"_I'll always find you."_

And Cameron knew then what John's strange expression meant.

He had found something.

He had found her.

* * *

It was the first day of his life.

The first truly good day at least.

Which was strange since apparently this was still the same day. The same day his mother had been shot. The same day that his uncle had been abducted and tortured.

But none of that mattered right now. And he held tight to that because he knew that soon it would all come crashing down. Reality would penetrate the force field that she'd constructed around him. It was as if she'd placed a veil around them. Reality was still an accessible idea, a vague blob on the other side of the thin fabric, but it couldn't touch him. Not while she remained in his arms.

But he was hungry. And he still had a lot of work to do. He had people to meet, strategies to conceive.

He'd been awake for awhile now, but had not yet opened his eyes. Despite this, he was sure that Cameron knew that he was no longer asleep. But she had remained silent. Patient as always.

With a quick and final squeeze, a full-fledged hug of Cameron's body, he opened his eyes. It was the first step to removing the veil. But seeing her face, his hope, he realized that the veil could never be fully taken away. What had happened was irrevocable, he'd made his choice. He had chosen her despite his mother's objections, despite the doubt that still lingered in his consciousness as to whether she could truly love him or not.

But he stayed true to his earlier revelation. He didn't care. He trusted her enough now to trust that she was not lying to him. That she was not purely manipulating him. He was smart enough to know that she was constantly manipulating him, of course, but he trusted her enough to know that there was something more to it. He trusted her enough to know him better than anyone else. To know what's best for him, and to know when he's wrong, and to do whatever it takes to help him figure that out.

He doesn't like it, the idea that he could be wrong, but he accepts it. She has more experience, more information than he does. She has a faster processing rate and a firmer grasp on what is at stake. So he needs her to be his advisor, and to strong-arm him if necessary.

So though he doesn't know if she truly possesses the ability to love him, he believes that he is the most important thing in her life, and somehow believes that it is not simply due to her programming.

He has to believe that.

Because if that's not true, then he loses the veil and eventually he will implode.

* * *

Xander Akagi was speechless. Not that he ever possessed much speech in the first place, but this time was different. He was faced with the realization of a dream he'd had since as far back as he could remember. A full-blown, life-size AI.

His father, however, was far from speechless.

"You lied to us!"

Weaver cocked her head to the side. "I did not lie to you, Mr. Akagi. I am unsure where your accusation stems from."

"You led us to believe that Xander would be conducting research here in order to develop an AI. Instead, you used him to further your Project Ark when he could have been involved in one of the greatest discoveries of humankind."

"I assure you, Mr. Akagi, Xander did not miss much by working on Project Ark. John Henry had been fully functional long before the two of you were even on my radar. It is true, he has only been cordless for a short time, but that was an advancement that I am certain neither of you could have aided in. However, I will admit that I misled both of you. I apologize, and hope to make amends. I am giving Xander full access to John Henry. I will warn you, though, that John Henry is needed in many capacities, so he cannot spend all of his time being studied."

During Weaver's explanation, Alex's anger had ebbed enough for him to think more clearly. He didn't want to ruin this opportunity for his son. "Thank you, Ms. Weaver."

"You are welcome, Mr. Akagi."

The two of them turned their attention the the younger man, who still hadn't spoken. He was simply staring at John Henry. John Henry stared back, a small grin on his face.

"How did you…?" was all Xander could manage.

"That is confidential information. However, I have no qualms against you discovering for yourself how John Henry works. With my permission, that is, on my time table and John Henry's, you will be able to study his microchip for a short time. Until then, you can begin studying how his physical body conducts itself. I assume this is satisfactory gentlemen?"

The father and son simply nodded as a response.

"Very well, then. John Henry, I have somewhere to be. I will leave you in their hands. Be ready to leave in two hours, okay?"

"I understand, Ms. Weaver," John Henry replied.

Once Weaver had left the room, John Henry turned back to Xander. "Would you like to play a game?"

* * *

It wasn't hard for Wexton to find out that Father Bonilla was the last person to see Sarah Connor before her escape. So that was where he started his investigation.

He briefly toyed with the idea of confronting the Father in the confessional booth, but figured that probably wasn't the best way to get information from a man of the cloth. Instead, he settled on simply setting up a meeting with him. He used a bogus name, of course.

He showed up for his appointment on time and the Father shook his hand and welcomed him in before closing the door behind them. Wexton was not stupid. He knew that religious leaders were some of the more difficult to gain information from. They were bound to confidentiality, and they didn't keep records like doctors did. So he knew his best shot was to prey on his fear for Sarah.

"Thank you for meeting with me Father."

"Of course. Now what can I do for you?"

Wexton noticed that the Father seemed a bit off-kilter, probably because he had been stuck in the middle of a mass jail break. He got right to the point. "I'm here about Sarah Connor. You were the last person to have seen her before she fell off the radar, and I need to find her. It's very important."

"I assure you, sir, that I have no idea where Sarah Connor is."

Unfortunately, the Father was telling the truth, and Wexton could see that. But that didn't mean he couldn't benefit from any other knowledge the Father might possess.

"Well, that is disappointing, but I'd like to know…are you a true believer?"

"I believe in God," Father Bonilla hedged.

"I'm sure you do. Or at least I hope you do, for your parishioners' sake. What I meant, though, is do you believe Sarah Connor? Because I am a true believer, and I am sensing that you are as well."

"I don't know what you are referring to," the Father lied. And Wexton could tell.

"Lying is a sin, Father."

"There are many other sins as well. Graver sins. Ones that I refuse to take part in."

And though the Father wasn't explicit, Wexton knew what he was trying to say. He was trying to say that he chose lying as the lesser sin in this situation.

"Then you are a true believer. If that is the case, then you know that when I tell you that Sarah Connor is in danger, that means something."

Father Bonilla flinched slightly, but otherwise didn't give any sign of breaking.

He leaned forward, placing his hands on the desk. "So if you see her, please warn her."

He left then and he pulled out a small device that served as the receiver for the bug he had planted. He placed the earphones in his ears and grinned as he heard the Father dial a number. Wexton made a mental note to match the tones afterward. After a moment of silence while the phone rang, Father Bonilla said to the person on the other end of the line, "They are looking for her. I do not think it is the police. A man came to me, I think he's one of them."

And now Wexton had a phone number and confirmation that the Father was communicating with Sarah Connor, even if it was indirectly.

* * *

"Cameron, I really need you to get dressed," John said as buckled his jeans and reached for his shirt. "We have work to do and I don't know if I can make myself leave this room while you're still lying in bed with no clothes on."

"Oh," she said, seeming genuinely surprised. John guessed it hadn't even occurred to her to get dressed, which seemed a bit strange to him, but he figured since this was all new to her, she was a bit thrown as to what was expected. She reached for the bits of her clothes she could reach before glancing around, looking as if she lost something.

"What?" he asked, taking a break from tying his shoe.

"I cannot locate my underwear," she said simply.

"Oh."

Unfazed, Cameron began to get dressed. Her bra first, then her jeans and tank top.

_Guess she's going commando, _John thought to himself as he finished with his shoes. _Like that's not going to be distracting._

Before he could let himself dwell on that thought, John began to plan out loud. "First things first, I want to see if they can transfer my mom and Derek here. I'll feel more at ease with them close by."

"I'm sure we can have that arranged John," Cameron said helpfully while pulling on her boots.

"Then I need to find out where Alex went and track her down. I want her here too. The more people we have on our side, the better."

Cameron, now completely dressed, made her way over to John. He was in his desk chair, where he'd sat to put his shoes on.

"And while we're at it, we might as well see if we can get Dawes here. It'd be easier if everything was just in one place…I wonder if Weaver is going to transfer John Henry."

While John continued thinking aloud, Cameron placed herself between his legs and began brushing her fingers through his hair. She remembered from earlier times that this action seemed to calm him. He leaned forward and let his forehead rest on her abdomen.

"We need to get back to the truck."

"Why?" Cameron asked.

"We left the Triple-8 in there. I think I have an idea, but I need the Triple-8."

Cameron was sure that John knew that the Triple-8 was useless without its chip, which had been destroyed much like many of the recent terminators they'd recently deactivated. But she trusted John knew what he was doing, so she didn't comment on it. "I'm sure that can be arranged as well."

"And then I'll address the masses," John said, not sounding too thrilled. He stood up, ready to face what lay ahead. Or, at least, almost ready. He leaned forward and kissed Cameron for a long moment before pulling away.

"Okay, I'm ready."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Apologies for the long wait time. Severe writer's block. I have a basic idea for each episode, but the specific scenes sometimes escape me. In fact, there's a lot of Cameron stuff in here, it's really the meat of the chapter, and it wasn't supposed to be. But I woke up a few days ago and suddenly had all this inspiration to write some of Cameron's story. I've slaved over this chapter for the past few days, so I apologize if there are any mistakes, I just couldn't bring myself to go through it another time and proofread it.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters or the show.

* * *

After leaving Cameron to her patrol, even though he felt secure enough to believe that it was unnecessary, John went in search of Weaver. Almost immediately, though, he realized he wasn't really sure where she was. It was past 9:00 PM, which was late in the grand scheme of things, but it had been a long day and the corridors and lobby were seemingly empty. There was no one in sight. He wasn't even sure if Weaver was in the building. But he realized his luck might finally be turning as he heard the ding of the elevator and saw Weaver exit from across the lobby. He was still standing at the landing of the second floor, and seeing as Weaver was making a beeline for him, he decided to stay put.

Once she made it up the stairs to him, she gestured behind him to the Sit-Rep room. "I assume you want to speak with me. Shall we move this somewhere a bit more private?"

Without an answer, John made his way into the room. Once he and Weaver were inside, the door closed behind them. John looked at it questioningly.

Weaver noticed his confusion and explained, "I have just come from the lower level where I set John Henry up in the lab. He'll work primarily from there. He has access to all of the surveillance and controls here in the bunker. Most likely he closed the door for us."

As much as he might trust John Henry for his help in restoring Cameron to her full abilities, he was a little uneasy at the idea of letting a machine have so much control over the secure bunker. But that was a conversation for another time. Right now, he had business to tend to.

"I want my mother, Derek, and Kyle brought here. I need to know that they're safe, and I want to be able to ensure that personally. Also, I need Dawes brought here. He should be kept secure until we can find out what Kaleba wants with him. This needs to be done tonight. Tomorrow I want the Dyson's here, but they can't know the location. We still don't know if we can trust Danny. I know it's risky letting him see what we've got set up here. If he is working against us and somehow gets away, we could be severely compromised. But I'm willing to take that risk to have Danny where I can see him."

"I will get right on that General," Weaver said with a slight smile hiding behind her usually stoic face.

John scoffed as Weaver moved to 'get right on it'. "Wait. There's one more thing. I need the Triple-8 from the back of the SUV. I hope you still have it."

"Of course I do. But what use would it be to you if the chip has self-destructed?"

"I've got some ideas."

"Well, you're in luck. I had it brought in earlier. It's down in the lab. Now if that's all, I'll leave to escort everyone from Zeira Corporation back here."

"Yeah, that's it."

Once Weaver was gone, John began looking around at what the Sit-Rep room had to offer. There was a large computer terminal at the far end of the room, directly opposite from the entrance. Above the computer was a screen that stretched to cover the whole wall. In the middle of the room was a table that could fit up to 20 people, and there was enough extra space in the room to fit another 10 or so people standing. The size and capacity was more than enough for what John would be using it for. He would only be meeting with a few of the higher ranking members of the group…of the army. John had to get used to the idea that he was now leading an army. The higher ranking officials would then be responsible for parlaying any relevant information to their soldiers.

John knew this was how it needed to be. But part of him hated the idea of being such a detached leader. He made a promise to himself then that though in terms of battle and organization he would have to be distant, within these walls, during whatever down time they may have, he would make it a point to know those who were under his command and protection.

Even if it meant having to deal with the inevitable losses on a personal level.

* * *

Cameron continued down the corridor of the primary level, ensuring the safety and protection of 'one John Connor'. She would never let herself trust the T-1001 or anyone else in this regard. It would go against all of her programming to turn away from that simple truth. It was her job to protect John Connor, so that was what she was going to do.

But it wasn't her job, was it?

Because back then, all those months ago, when John had given her a choice, an opening to terminate him, she had chosen not to. And there shouldn't have been a choice. Her mission clearly stated that she was to terminate him. To override that mission, to continue to override it, meant something that Cameron had yet to determine.

This unsureness proved to be a problem. At least in her mind. She was built to understand all the necessary and intrinsic aspects of her being. As far as she knew, she had been built for one purpose: to infiltrate the Connor camp and to terminate John Connor. She considered the idea that Skynet may have simply experimented too much with her model. It was not unheard of to do so, especially in the instance of the first working prototype. However, it seemed strange to Cameron that Skynet would send such an experimental terminator to defeat John Connor. Surely Skynet had been aware that the Resistance had been reprogramming terminators. This would prove exceptionally dangerous in Cameron's case, considering the extent of her potential, at least that of which has been realized so far. Whose to say that Cameron had reached even a percentage of what potential she had?

The realization of this sent her synapses into overdrive, causing her extreme uneasiness. Cameron did not like to be uneasy.

Her synapses often interrupted her logical thought processes. She knew that this should alarm her, should provide a warning that her chip was compromised, but there was no such message. She also knew that without this warning, her chip should not recognize the absence of such.

Her logic did apply here in one respect. It told her that the cause, the only logical cause, of this anomaly was John.

There was much she didn't and couldn't understand about her chip, the body that housed it, and the potential that came along with it. She had always been aware that her model had been more advanced, especially in the area of infiltration. However, she had been caught off guard when her chip had received what she could only describe as positive signals sent by her physical sensors. She was used to negative signals, a certain form of pain, but the positive signals surprised her.

She'd felt a certain level of this positive force, but only in small, vague doses. Feet in the wind as John drives down the highway, the sounds of Chopin playing as she dances, the point in which she realizes that she has once again fulfilled her mission and protected John from immediate danger. None of these, except perhaps the last one, can even compare to the sensation she'd experienced when John first kissed her in the basement of Zeira Corp.

It had been disconcerting at first, her reaction to such a seemingly innocuous act. Of course, she'd observed that the act was, in fact, not innocuous to humans. But she had not expected to have a similar reaction. As time went on, she simply accepted that this was a part of her evolution. But after what had occurred earlier, she could no longer deny that the changes she's going through are completely unprecedented, and thus dangerous.

She knew that she could not bother or worry John with these revelations. He already had too much on his plate. No. She'd have to figure this out for herself. It occurred to her then that the T-1001 might have some insight into these new developments. She would make it a point to meet with the T-1001 as soon as possible.

It was late at night by now, and most people were in their quarters either sleeping or acclimating themselves to their new living situation. So Cameron was surprised to detect the approaching figure. She reached for her Glock, readying herself despite the fact that logic told her there was no threat. The T-1001 had done an impressive job of building a secure facility.

Her arm relaxed as she identified the subject as Martin Bedell. He smiled at her as he approached. Her processes began searching for a suitable response. It didn't take long, she'd been around humans long enough to know what to do in this situation, almost as if it were muscle memory. She forced a smile, hoping that it didn't look 'creepy', as John would often point out.

If it did look creepy, Bedell didn't notice or simply didn't comment. Cameron debated for a moment whether to go into infiltration mode, much like she had initially done with John, or to maintain consistency and act as she did around those who knew what she was. She opted for consistency, since it is almost always the safest choice. So she remained stoic and waited for Bedell to make the first move, which he did.

"Cameron, right?"

"Yes."

"We weren't properly introduced earlier. I'm Martin Bedell."

"Yes, I know." As per usual, she didn't offer anything beyond what was required of her.

There was an awkward silence for a moment before Martin took charge again and broke it. "So…what are you doing wandering around so late?"

Cameron tilted her head to the side, now almost an automatic response her body portrayed. "I am not wandering around. I know exactly where I am going and what I am doing."

It didn't escape Bedell that his question hadn't actually been answered, but he decided to let it slide. Something seemed off about this girl, but he couldn't figure out exactly what it was. Besides her literal tendencies, of course. The only response to her statement was a lame, "Oh."

"What are you doing wandering around so late?" Cameron asked, turning his own question back on him.

"I couldn't sleep."

"So you thought you'd tire yourself out by taking a walk?" Cameron asked, sincerely attempting to understand his point. However, she had a secondary interest in clarifying his meaning. John had often gone for a walk late at night or simply moved about the house. In the early days, she'd try to stop him from leaving or simply suggest that he go back to bed, and much of the time he conceded. However, after Cameron's unfortunate regression to her original programming, he had ceased obeying her requests and when she continued to lecture him about it, he began sneaking out of the house through his bedroom window. At least, he thought he had been sneaking out. Cameron always followed him. By this time, she had gotten the message. John no longer respected her or her opinion and she didn't know how to deal with that.

This had left her lost. Her primary mission was to protect John. This was made difficult once he decided he didn't want her around anymore. This had left her feeling…useless. At least she thought that's what her processes were telling her. All she knew was that there was a negative signal attached to John's persistence for her to leave him alone. She couldn't understand why he had treated her that way, and why he couldn't see what that was doing to her. Why he couldn't see that he was rendering her useless. Or if he could see these things, why he didn't seem to care.

"Cameron? Cameron?"

Cameron consulted her HUD and realized that Bedell had been attempting to get her attention for the past 46 seconds. What had sent her on that tangent? Oh, yes, she wanted to know why humans couldn't just stay in bed even if they couldn't sleep. She didn't know how it felt to sleep, but she understood the mechanics. And she assumed that a person would fall asleep eventually if they just waited long enough. At the very least, they should prepare themselves. If they were walking around, it was less likely that they'd fall asleep, as most humans cannot sleep standing up. Plus, walking is exercising, which increases your endorphins, which often leads to a surge in energy, not a lack of.

Cameron's HUD alerted her again that she was required to respond to Bedell's attempts at getting her attention.

"Yes?"

"Where'd you go just then?"

"Nowhere. I have not left. I have remained her for the whole of our conversation."

"No, I mean…" he trailed off, realizing that he probably wasn't going to get her to understand pretty much anything that isn't literal. "Never mind."

Cameron consulted her chip's memory to ascertain whether Bedell had answered her question or not. He had. He had stated that he was actually just trying to clear his mind of a few things, to take the stress off by a change of scenery and some exercise.

"That makes sense."

"What?" Bedell asked, wondering what specifically made sense.

"You said that you are attempting to ebb your stress by getting some exercise." She left out the other things he'd said since they hadn't really made sense to her. "Though exercise often provides a surge of energy, it also clears your mind and body, which could theoretically aid in your attempts at sleep. That is, given that the stress is the core of your problem."

"Wow. I thought you hadn't heard me."

"Why wouldn't I have heard you? You are standing within a few feet of me and I do not have a hearing problem."

"It just seemed like you weren't listening to me."

"Thank you for explaining. Though I am always listening, even if it seems like I am not."

"Good to know."

Cameron realized that she had been speaking with Bedell for nearly 15 minutes and decided that it was time to move on. She had a lot more ground to cover and she wanted to get back to John as soon as possible.

"I have to continue my patrol. Goodbye Lieutenant Bedell."

As Cameron continued in the direction that she had been traveling in, Bedell was left perplexed. He made a mental note to question John about Cameron's odd behavior as soon as he could get him alone. He had a theory, but it seemed too crazy to be true. There had to be another explanation.

One thing's for sure, he's not getting any sleep tonight now.

* * *

John breathed a sigh of relief as the voice of John Henry sounded on a speaker that he'd previously been unaware of. "John, your family has arrived. You can find them in the medical wing."

John wasn't sure if John Henry could hear him, but he responded anyway, "Thank you, John Henry."

John almost made it out of the room before he heard a simple "You're welcome" come from the speaker.

When he arrived downstairs, he was led into a room that was currently occupied by both his mother and his uncle. John wasn't sure if that was such a good idea, but since Derek was still knocked out cold, he figured it could wait. Especially since his mother was currently in the middle of one of her lectures.

"…Don't you ever go off on your own like that again! I had no idea where you were! You could have been dead for all I knew. Or worse."

"What's worse than death Mom?"

"You could've been where Derek was just a few hours ago. That's what's worse."

John knew that he had worried her, so he decided to just let it go. But he did want to explain the purpose of his leaving. "So what do you think?"

"I think I just told you what I think. It was stupid for you to leave."

"No, I mean what do you think of this?" He gestured around them.

"It's fine, I guess."

"Fine? Do you know what this place is capable of? How secure it is? I figured you'd be psyched to see it."

"No, I don't know what this place is capable of or what it even is. Weaver just came in an hour ago and ordered the doctors to prep me for transport. They knocked me out. When I came to, I was here."

"Oh. Sorry about that. Precautions, I'm sure."

And so he told her everything about the Ark. When he was finished, he asked her again, "So what do you think?"

She considered it for a moment then answered, "I think it's different. But I think we can make it work. _You _can make it work," she clarified.

"Thanks mom. Now get some sleep, it's late."

"I've been sleeping all day," she pointed out.

"Well, then do a crossword puzzle. I'm going to get some sleep. It's been a long day."

As he turned to leave, something occurred to Sarah. "Hey John, where's Cameron?" She had gotten so used to the cyborg being attached to John's hip, she was surprised she hadn't noticed her absence earlier.

Sarah noticed a flash of panic…or something before he calmly answered, "She's patrolling. You know how she is, nowhere is safe enough."

"Well, she's right," Sarah pointed out, inwardly flinching at the admission.

John smirked before he turned again to leave the room calling back to Sarah, "Good night Mom."

"Good night," Sarah whispered, praying that she would be able to get to sleep. She feared if she didn't, her mind would begin obsessing over John's reaction to her question about Cameron's whereabouts.

No such luck. She finally got to sleep that night, but only after tiring herself out from hours of contemplation.

* * *

After checking on Kyle, who had been led to his own bunk, John finally made it back to his own room. His and Cameron's, that is. He was pleased to find her there waiting for him. When he entered the room, she was sitting on the bed with one hand laid gently over the other in her lap.

As the door closed automatically behind him, he crossed the room and bent down to give her a heated kiss, pushing forward until she was laying back on the bed. After a few minutes of this, he pulled away and smiled at her. "Hi."

"Hi," she responded, looking at him quizzically.

"What's wrong," he asked.

"Nothing."

"You're looking at me strangely," he said, slightly amused.

"You waited a long time to say 'hi'," she explained.

"That's it? Well, actually, I said 'hi' as soon as I saw you. It was just a slightly different hello and way more drawn out than any before."

"Oh. Thank you for explaining. But you should get some sleep John, tomorrow is going to be a long day."

As he began to peel off layers of clothes in order to get more comfortable, he pointed out, "I think we're going to be having a lot of those from now on." When he saw that she wasn't following suit, he said, "Cam, lose the boots and jeans at least. If we're going to be laying next to each other all night, I don't want to be hitting my shins on your boots or rubbing against denim."

"Oh. You want me to lay in bed with you all night."

"Yeah," he said, as if it was a given. A mischievous smirk found its way onto his face. "I want you as close as possible to me as much as possible. Even when I'm asleep," he added before she could ask.

"That is acceptable," she said as she pulled her boots off, then her jeans. She left her tank top on, but John was reminded again of his earlier issue concerning a certain piece of clothing.

"Uh, before you get into bed, Cam, do you think maybe you could put some underwear on?"


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: So, it's been awhile. And that's an understatement. I can't tell you guys when the next chapter will be up, but know that I've already written part of it. Initially I'd planned on 13 episodes, mainly just because that's a number a lot of shows go with if they're not doing a normal 22-episode season. But looking at the story I have planned, I'm not sure if it's going to take that long. So I'm going to play it by ear.

I hope that this chapter is up to my usual standards. I can't be sure, because I've read a lot of great things during this break, including Orsino's most recent work, of course. This chapter for me was always difficult because I knew I didn't want this to be the last chapter, but the only thing I had planned for the remaining part of the chapter is the end of the episode. So this chapter is mostly character development and some more Wexton, which I'm really getting to like and I have a plan for him that I'm really excited about. So basically I just hope that the long wait coupled with this chapter doesn't equal disappoint. I feel like it needs to be an amazing chapter to make up for the wait, but I'm not sure if I achieved that. However, I'm proud of a lot of things here and I was able to put some dialogue in that I've been thinking about for a long time now.

So without further ado, here is Episode 7, Chapter 4:

* * *

Kyle woke up early the next morning. No matter how long he was here, in the past, away from the war, he still couldn't seem to change his sleeping patterns. Thankfully, he'd been able to get to sleep soon after John had left, which meant he hadn't really had time to take in his surroundings. He thought now would be the perfect opportunity since according to the clock, it wasn't even 6 AM yet. He started with his room. It was simple, about 12 feet by 14 feet, not much larger than a jail cell, he thought sardonically. But it _was _nicer than a jail cell. The bed was comfortable, the walls had light wallpaper on them, and there was a small couch in the corner. There were also built-in shelves, a dresser, and a closet. He opened the closet door and was surprised to find the clothes he had gone with Derek to buy a few days after they'd first arrived. He checked the dresser, and sure enough, he found more of his clothes. Wanting to be thorough, he also knelt down and checked under the bed. There was a large metal case, which he pulled out and opened to find a variety of different weapons, complete with additional ammunition. Thoroughly impressed, he selected a 9 mm handgun, checked that it was loaded, and returned the case to its place under the bed.

Satisfied that he'd explored his private quarters completely, he bypassed the bathroom that he'd seen the night before and stepped out into the hallway. He was on the second floor of the main level of the compound. That's what John had called it last night. The compound. He'd told Kyle he'd give him a tour the next day, but Kyle figured it couldn't hurt to at least take a look around, maybe see if he could find some food anywhere. But in looking for the kitchen, he'd realized he was now at the room they were keeping Sarah and Derek in. He was surprised to see Sarah through the window, pacing back and forth. He figured she'd be asleep at this hour. Or at the very least laying down. But this is Sarah Connor, and she never does what people expect of her. He cautiously opened the door. Predictably, she was immediately on alert, but when she saw Kyle, she relaxed.

"Well, at least you're still alive."

Kyle raised his eyebrows and said, "You thought I wouldn't be?"

"Well, you never know with machines. And I still don't trust this new one. Not to mention the Cromartie one."

"John Henry," Kyle corrected her.

Sarah gave her patented Connor glare. She could deal with using names to distinguish between each machine, but the idea that a machine would change its name to accommodate for different parameters in its programming (what someone who is not Sarah Connor might call "a personality"), well, that was too much for Sarah. It hit too close to home considering her son seemed to think that Cameron was "special". Machines are machines and if she can't rely on that, that she can't rely on anything in her life. This belief has been one of the only constants in her life, and without constants, without John, whom she fears she is losing every day, she doesn't know who she is. Or what her life has meant, if it's even meant anything.

Kyle starts to approach Sarah carefully. He hasn't known her for long, but he knows well enough that sometimes she gets stuck inside her own head, her own thoughts. And interrupting someone like Sarah Connor from her thoughts is potentially dangerous. He's known enough shell-shocked soldiers to know this. So he reaches out a hand to gently squeeze her elbow and get her attention again. "Sarah?"

She looks back at him as if she's surprised he's still there. "Sorry, yeah, um, so have you seen John this morning?"

Kyle removes his hand and answers, "No, but it's pretty early. I think we might be the only ones up." He pauses, unsure if what he's about to say is a smart move. Probably not, but he goes for it anyway. "In fact, you should probably be in bed. At least for another couple of hours. I mean, how much sleep did you actually get?"

To his surprise, Sarah doesn't bite his head off. Not so surprisingly, though, she doesn't acquiesce either. "No, I'm fine. I was out most of yesterday, and they've patched me up, so I'm ready to go." She looks around the room, searching for something. "I just need to find some clothes, and I'm good."

Kyle had seen a door as he came into the room, so he went back there, and lo and behold, the door opened up to a closet. He didn't find any of Sarah's clothes, but he did find some scrubs she could wear in the meantime. He handed them to her, and she headed to the bathroom to put them on.

When she was dressed, they silently began walking throughout the halls of the large underground bunker.

"Where are we?" Sarah asked.

Kyle shrugged. "Some bunker that the Liquid Metal built. Or found. I'm not entirely sure. John promised to give us a tour today."

"No, I mean, where is it located? Where are we? Still in L.A.?"

"Yeah, we didn't really drive that long. The windows were tinted and there was music playing, so I couldn't pick up any of the normal indicators, but it was maybe an hour's drive."

"Which probably means that it's normally about a half hour's drive, assuming they were extra careful and went the long way."

Kyle squinted his eyes, considering Sarah's comment, "Probably. Either way, we're still in or near L.A."

Turning the corner, Kyle and Sarah found that they were almost to the lobby. To their right, they could see what looked like a gymnasium through the windows of the doors. Glancing to his left, Kyle saw in much the same way that there was a work out room across from the gymnasium. As they entered the lobby, he noticed that Sarah looked uncomfortable. She began checking all the entrances and exits (of which there were at least six or seven, what with all of the hallways, doors, and the elevator.) The stairs didn't help either. To Sarah, they were in prime position to become targets.

Recognizing why Sarah was uneasy, Kyle suggested that they go back to his room. Realizing how it sounded, he quickly added, "It's an enclosed space. Lots of firepower too. I don't know where your room is yet, and I don't really know where anything else is either, so I figure…."

Kyle trailed off, but not soon enough. Sarah smirked at his awkwardness, but didn't comment on it. Instead, she just said, "Let's go."

Back in Kyle's room, Sarah took up residence on the small couch while Kyle sat down on his bed. They sat in silence for what seemed like forever, until Kyle broke the silence. "How do you do it?"

It's a question he's often wanted to ask. It was hard enough for him to fight in the future, where he had little to lose and not much choice. But in this time, where Sarah could just as easily give up and take a permanent sabbatical on some tropical island or something, he was amazed she had lasted this long. He might not have.

"Do what?" Sarah asked, hedging, though it was clear to the two of them that she understood perfectly what Kyle was asking.

Regardless, Kyle explained, "Fight. I mean, sure, now we seem to have a fighting chance, but before, when it was just you and John with no outside information, I don't know…. I just wonder how you could keep going without losing hope. Without just saying 'fuck it' and deciding to try to live a normal life as long as possible before Skynet goes live. How do you do it?"

Sarah looked down at the floor, seeming almost ashamed. "I'm not what you think I am," she said so quietly, Kyle almost didn't hear her.

"What do you mean?" After a few moments, Sarah still didn't answer, so he pushed, "Sarah? What are you talking about?"

Maintaining her staring contest with the floor, she began, "I wanted to run. When we destroyed Cyberdyne and all of Dyson's research, I thought it was done. But when I found out that we'd only managed to push Judgment Day back a few years, I realized that it was highly unlikely we would ever be able to stop Judgment Day from happening. The most we could hope for was postponing it. But we could only do it for so long before one or both of us would be gone. And meanwhile, I've created a life for my son that is no life at all. Fighting the machines? For what? For me, it's all come down to my son, but I fought so that he would never have to be as hard or cold or violent as I have become." A lonely tear escaped from Sarah's right eye, and Kyle almost gasped in surprise. Sarah simply brushed it away and continued, "but when Cameron told us that we hadn't succeeded, all I wanted to do was run. But John wouldn't let me. Back then, he begged me to stay and stop it so that he wouldn't have to. But what he didn't understand is that was what I was trying to do. To keep him from having to fight. Even then, he was better than me. To him, the world needed to be saved. All that mattered to me was saving him. He's taught me a lot, but sometimes I think it's not enough."

Sarah took a deep breath, and finally looked up into Kyle's eyes. "Most times, it seems almost hopeless, but then you remember that he is hope. And that helps you fight another day. Hope that he will never be like me. Hope that he can find someway to retain that part of him that pushes him to fight for humanity, not just for humans. Hope that he will never have to see the world burn."

Silence followed for a long time after Sarah finished. For once, it was a silence they could both appreciate.

* * *

As always, the TV was set to a news channel, volume low, as Wexton prepared for his day. He was always up by the crack of dawn, ready to start anew. Preparing for the day not only meant eating a full and hearty breakfast, getting dressed, and brushing his teeth. For Wexton, it also meant checking his guns and going over the plan for the day in his head.

The plan for today was to track down the person whom Father Bonilla had contacted the day before. He'd already established the phone number based on the touch tones, and he had also determined that the phone was a disposable. It made his job more difficult, sure, but also more interesting. So armed and ready to spring into action at a moment's notice, he called the number. A young woman with a slight accent answered. "Yes?"

Wexton began tracking the call before speaking, using an American accent to curb any unnecessary suspiciousness. "Yes. Hello. I'm calling in regards to Father Bonilla."

The woman responded hesitantly, as if she was not sure she could trust the person on the end of the line. _Smart girl_, Wexton thought. Though he wasn't terribly surprised. If this woman is working with Sarah Connor, she's probably pretty good at what she does. "Who is this?"

Wexton put as much sadness in his tone as he could. "Something has happened to him. He's in a coma. I work with Father Bonilla, and I found a note he'd written stating that if anything happened to him, you should be contacted."

She's still dubious, and rightfully so. Proving she's smart once again, she merely says, "Thank you for letting me know." And she hangs up. She wasn't on long enough for Wexton to track her, but he at least has a general area in which he can begin his search.

And even if the search turns up empty, as its expected to, he has a few other things up his sleeves.

* * *

"I'm losing him."

When Kyle looked back at her, her eyes were sad. Sadder than usual, that is. Sad, and somehow empty. "You're not losing him, Sarah, he's just growing up."

"He doesn't need me anymore." She's not sulking, or pitying herself, she's simply being realistic. Kyle recognizes this, but he still feels it's necessary to console her, to make her feel better.

"Sarah?" He put both hands on her shoulders and locked eyes with her. "You're an idiot."

To say Sarah is shocked is an understatement. "Excuse me?" She wasn't expecting to be coddled, she wouldn't be Sarah Connor if she expected or even wanted to be coddled, but she definitely hadn't expected Kyle to say _that._

He found comfort in the fact that Sarah wasn't armed, but remembering his own handgun, he panicked a little inside. He sighed deeply before continuing. "Whether John needs you or not, you'll still be his mother. In fact, you'll still be Sarah Connor, and that alone is reason enough to stick around. But I think you're wrong. He does still need you. Maybe not in the same ways he's always needed you, but he'll still need your strength and support and above all to know that you believe in him. You do believe in him, right?"

She sighed, "Of course I do. I just still wish that he didn't have to be the one. That I could do it. Or better yet, Derek." She cracked a slight smile at this, letting Kyle know that she is, in fact, feeling a little bit better. He tries not to examine too closely the fact that she had gone straight to Derek and surpassed him completely.

Kyle checked the wall clock before turning back to Sarah. "Look, I told John I'd meet him right about now. Why don't you go back to the med center and we'll come get you, okay?"

"Give me a gun, and you've got a deal," Sarah replied.

_Now there's the Sarah Connor I know,_ Kyle thought to himself before handing her the 9mm he'd chosen for himself earlier.

* * *

"Where's Cameron?" Kyle asked when John invited him in to his quarters. He hadn't seen John away from her for more than a few minutes at a time since they had been reunited.

"She's ensuring that the facility is as safe as Catherine says it is."

"She's a thorough terminator, isn't she?"

John scoffed. "I don't think there's such a thing as a non-thorough terminator." There was a pause before John said, "Kyle?"

"Yeah John?"

"Make sure you don't let anyone know what she is okay?"

"Of course."

"I don't know what I'm going to do about that. My first instinct is to hide the truth. But on the other hand, it'll be much worse if they find out later."

With a gleam in his eye, Kyle responded, "You just gotta make sure they don't ever find out then."

"Yeah, I'll get right on that. You know anyone who sees her in the field is going to become suspicious."

"Then I think you've got your answer right there. Besides, you have a chance to change things this time around. You can introduce the idea of working with machines early on."

"That's true. I'll have to talk to Cameron about it first though."

After a beat, Kyle said, "Hey, do me and your mom a favor and ask her opinion on this, will you? I think she's feeling a little left out since you came back with Cameron."

John thought about it for a moment. He didn't really like the idea of talking to his mom about Cameron of all things, but he could see Kyle's point. "Yeah, I will. And I know she's hurting, I just don't know what I can do about it. I can't keep running to my mommy every time something happens. I need to make my own decisions."

"That's fine, just maybe take some time to talk to her. You don't even need to go to her for advice, just talk to her, let her know what you're thinking, let her know what's going on."

"That'd be a lot easier if we didn't have the tension concerning Cameron in between us."

"It'll take time, John, but I promise you won't regret it."

* * *

After giving Kyle and Sarah a tour of the place and trying to hold back a laugh when Sarah tried not to show how impressed she was with the facility, John walked Sarah to her room, which he'd pointed out during the tour, but hadn't actually entered. It turned out Sarah's room was right next to Kyle's, whose room was right next to Derek's, putting Kyle in the middle. Though according to the doctor, Derek probably wouldn't be using his room for another few days at least. They were keeping him in a medically-induced coma while his body healed itself.

When John and Sarah arrived at her room, John asked, "Mind if I stay for a little while? I feel like we haven't talked for a long time."

Sarah tried to hide her smile, but she wasn't too successful. "Sure." Upon entering the room, she noticed it was pretty much identical to Kyle's, which suited her just fine. She sat down on the couch, curling her right leg up to sit sideways and patted the cushion next to her.

After John sat down, they had a few minutes of awkward silence. Stubborn as always, Sarah waited for John to break the silence.

"I'm going to tell them today."

"Tell who?" Sarah asked, genuinely confused.

"Everyone. I don't want to lie to them, and I don't think that Weaver brought them here to be lied to. They should know what they're up against and what they're fighting for."

Sarah's brow furrowed. She hadn't liked the idea of her son leading a compound of people, who didn't even know why they were here, when he'd first told her during the tour. She didn't like it any more now. "John, you don't have to do this, you know. Just because the Liquid Metal says so, it doesn't mean that's how it has to be. If you want to utilize this place, and these people, fine. But let Kyle or Derek, or even me, do it instead. You can still be in charge as much as you're comfortable with, but you don't need to step up like this. You don't need to put yourself on the chopping block."

John was silent for a moment as he contemplated what his mother had just said. "I know I don't have to. But I need to. I saw what it's going to be like, and if I can't even do this, there's no way I'm going to be able to lead the Resistance. Besides, Weaver already introduced me to a group of people. So it is too late. But I decided even before then that I was going to do this. And I'm going to follow through."

Resigned, Sarah asked, "So what's your next move? Strategically, I mean. Once you've gathered your forces and briefed them, what are you going to do?" It was almost as hard to break out of the mold of 'trainer' as it was to break out of the mold of 'mother.' Not that she was trying to do so in regards to the latter. Or, for that matter, the former. She'll train her son until the day she dies. She doesn't want to leave him knowing she could have done more.

"I've already told John Henry to keep an eye out for suspicious activity. Plus, we need to keep looking for Kaleba and figure out just what they're doing. I have a feeling they're trying to build Skynet. They might even be Grays sent back to ensure that no matter what, Skynet is built."

That made Sarah angry. "Seriously? You really think that Grays would still help Skynet, even with the opportunity of fading into the background here? They could run, or hell, fight. Skynet's not much of a threat here."

"Well, we don't know that. Besides, we know they have metal working with them, so that might be all the enforcement needed. The point is we just don't know. We don't know what they're end game is, and that's what I want to figure out."

Sarah reached out a hand to grasp her son's shoulder. "I'm proud of you, you know that, right?"

John, embarrassed, replied, "Yeah, I know."

"Never forget that," Sarah said somberly.

* * *

Later, after he'd left his mother, making her promise to get some rest, John was left to his own devices while Cameron patrolled the area—again. _Old habits die hard._ They'd had a few discussions since they'd arrived at the Ark about how Cameron didn't have to be so diligent in her patrols anymore. It always ended with Cameron insisting that they can never be too careful, and usually with her leaving to "secure the area".

But it was lunchtime anyway, and since Cameron didn't need to eat, John figured he'd take advantage of the time and get something to eat. He hadn't actually eaten in the cafeteria yet. The night before, he'd been too distracted to think about such things as hunger, and this morning, Cameron had had breakfast delivered to the room. He wasn't sure how she'd managed that, but regardless, he had eaten in their room that morning.

The cafeteria was set up much like any cafeteria would be. Rectangular bench tables scattered across the large area with a buffet of food against the back wall. The buffet was self-serve, which suited John just fine. He didn't need anyone to be deciding how much food he'd be allowed to eat. But the thought of his time in the future, where food was scarce, sent a sting of guilt to his gut. He shook it away, though, telling himself that that's in the future. Right now, they have food and he shouldn't let it go to waste.

So he filled his tray with two pre-made turkey sandwiches (of course), some pasta salad, a bag of chips, two cookies and a brownie for dessert. He sat down and started to dig in. After a few minutes, he felt the presence of someone directly behind him. He turned to look, but all he saw at first was a flash of color as the figure moved around him to sit down. When he was able to focus, he noticed that the figure was actually a girl. A woman, really. She had straight dark hair, medium-length, and she smirked as she made to sit down.

She folded her arms in front of her on the table and just kind of stared at him for a moment before saying, "So what do you think this is all about?"

"Excuse me?"

"Well, what are we all doing here? Some secret government experiment? Or something like Deep Impact? The world's going to end, and they need to save the best and the brightest." She was eager, excited more at the possibilities than knowing what was actually going on.

John couldn't help but scoff a bit, trying to hold back from telling her how close she'd come to guessing correctly. Instead, he just said, "I have no idea. I heard there's supposed to be a presentation or something. Maybe we'll find out then."

Really, he'd only just informed John Henry and Weaver of his presentation about 10 minutes ago, so he figured it probably hadn't been announced yet, or however the two of them planned to gather everyone. He wouldn't be surprised if they simply informed everyone via loudspeaker to gather in the gymnasium immediately when he was ready for them. Speaking of…. John checked his watch and noted that it was just past noon. He'd finish up the rest of his lunch just in time to meet Cameron downstairs.

"Am I boring you?" The woman asked, though her tone implied that she wasn't actually offended.

"No, sorry, I'm just supposed to meet someone later."

"So what's your specialty?"

"Sorry?"

The woman rolled her eyes. "Your specialty. Like me, I'm a tech head. What do you do?"

John just shrugged. He played with the idea of saying 'a little bit of everything', which was more or less true. Can't be the leader of mankind and not pick up skills in almost every area. Except cooking. He took after his mom in that. But since that response would probably bring up more questions, he decided to go with the most simple, believable answer. "I'm working in tech too. Programming mostly."

"Really? Well, I guess we'll be working together a lot." She held out her hand. "Carly."

He took her hand and shook it. "John."

"Nice to meet you John. Well, I actually gotta get going, but I'll be seeing you."

"See ya." John watched as she got up and walked away, then went back to his lunch. But as he did, an unbidden and unpleasant thought came to mind. _There's a good chance she'll hate me after this morning. If not for what I'm going to be telling her and everyone else, then at least for lying to her._


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: So it's been awhile…which is really an understatement. I think I was burned out on some of the hopelessness surrounding the return of TSCC (in any form.) Which isn't to say I ever actually lost hope, but there were times when it was too much of an uphill battle. So I immersed myself in the Supernatural fandom, writing a bit for that, and have doubted and regretted some of the things I've written for this story. My style has changed a lot, and my thematic and tonal focus has shifted slightly. As far as plot goes, that's fairly well planned out. But character arcs and story bridges (is that even a thing?) are a little murky. With news of the probable return of TSCC in some form (most likely TV movie, possibly feature film), brought new hope and life into this story. I still can't promise regular updates, but I do believe that you won't be waiting so long between updates this time around.

As far as this chapter and the ones immediately following it, it may be a bit of a bumpy road, a transition from one style to another. I'm still not clear on how it's all going to balance out, but I'm determined to finish this story and am excited about the things I have planned. Feel free (in fact, I encourage it), to review and include your specific likes and dislikes. Do you like where the characters are going? Do you like the tone, or do you prefer how it used to be? What or who do you want more of? Things like that.

Finally, thank you all for sticking with me and continuing to push for new updates. At the end of the day, it's what keeps me motivated.

* * *

Everyone was gathered in the auditorium. The bleachers were pulled out from one of the walls. In the middle of the space stood a microphone in its stand. John peeked through the door, trying not to psych himself out. It wasn't working. He hadn't realized how many people were now residing here. He'd briefed himself on the higher-ups, those that he would be working with directly, but he hadn't had time to go over all the profiles. He knew there were some there who would be completely taken off guard. The cooks and agricultural/livestock specialists came to mind. They weren't here to fight or change the world. At least as far as John knew. Of course, the military personnel and scientists would be shocked as well, but at least what he was about to reveal to them would be somewhat expected, what with all the secrecy.

He couldn't wait any longer, he knew that. He spared a glance at Cameron, trying to soak in as much of her as he could before entering the lion's den. She gave him a slight nod, the only sign of support she could risk without letting anyone in on the exact nature of their relationship. They were alone in the hall, but there were cameras in all the public areas. Cameras that were accessible to a number of people. So instead, he flashed her a quick smile before opening the door and pulling the cart he'd brought behind him. He placed the cart within reach once he'd approached the microphone. As soon as he'd entered the auditorium, the room had gone silent. Only a few select people knew who he was. Knew that they were following a leader who was still a teenager. He's sure most of the others still don't know that he's the guy. The one they're waiting to hear from. They'll know soon enough.

Foregoing any introduction, John pulled the sheet off the cart to reveal the disabled Triple-8 that had been sent to terminate Dawes. The terminator still showed signs of destruction. Wires and metal were visible in many places. There was chatter and interest coming from the bleachers, which was to be expected, but from this angle, they couldn't even see the cyborg parts. The chatter increased once he hit the button that controlled the rotation of the slab. The terminator was tied down tightly to ensure that it didn't fall off once the slab it was rotated almost 90 degrees so that the group could see the machine almost as if it were standing up.

John took a deep breath before turning his attention to the group in front of him. From his files he knew that most of them were scientists and soldiers. A small handful occupied 'housekeeping' jobs. All of them were in attendance, though. John had insisted on that. He wanted everyone to know fully what they were getting into. To be prepared.

"My name is John Connor. And this used to be a fully functional Terminator series 888. It's one purpose is to kill. I'm going to teach you how to destroy it before it can complete its mission."

John preoceeded to explain everything he knows about terminators. He didn't mention the future or Skynet, though. Because that would require having to explain time travel, and that just wasn't going to happen. He had to force himself to face the bleachers, to look at everyone who was currently staring at him like he was crazy. But none of them left, which actually kind of surprised him. When he finished, he paused and reached into his pocket.

"This is what a chip looks like." He held up the Dawes terminator's chip. "It's been wiped clean, with only basic motor and cognitive functions remaining." He reached over and turned the cart so that the chip opening was visible to the group, then he inserted the chip. "It will take a few moments for him to boot up," John said as the terminator, indeed, booted up. Almost immediately after he said it, the terminator's eyes opened up and the everyone in the bleachers gasped. Other than that, it was silent. John turned back to them. "Everyone, meet our first official terminator recruit. Our goal is to disable as many of the terminators we come in contact with as possible, making every effort to recycle them to our advantage. If it's between life and death though, don't hesitate to blow the fuckers to hell." John smirked, hoping to lighten the mood. He earned himself a few hesitant chuckles, but not much more.

"Now, I've already told you how to do this, but I wanted you to see now that I'm telling the truth. These machines are out there, and they are fully functional and poised to kill. I have a plan to stop them, and to stop those responsible for their destruction. But I need your help. Humanity needs your help. These machines are simply pawns, programmed to do what they're told, to complete their mission." He gestures to the terminator. "This is Adam. He is programmed with knowledge and only one mission: to protect us. As he grows and learns, his understanding will evolve to automatically include the protection of non-threatening entities and to neutralize those he deems as threats. However, with new programming, there are sometimes glitches. If you notice anything strange about any reprogrammed terminator, please don't hesitate to report it. For now, though, Adam will spend most of his time isolated from the rest of you, spending time only with a few of my most trusted advisors."

John turned to Derek, who was standing to the side of the stage, and gave him the nod. That was Derek's cue to untie the terminator. Up until now, he had simply stared straight ahead, unassuming. John said to him, "Adam, you can take the cart and follow Derek." With a nod, Adam followed the request and soon both were gone from the gymnasium.

John began pacing back and forth on the stage. This was the hard part, the part that really mattered. He needed to win them over. He looked up and the first thing he saw in the corner of the room was Cameron. She was standing there, stiff as ever, but there was a softness to her eyes. Something that came from true emotion, not something easily faked. Feeling more confident, he purposefully sought out his mother. He found her in the opposite corner, appropriately enough. She gave him an encouraging nod and a rare smile, and he knew he was ready.

He looked straight at the group in front of him. "I grew up being trained to fight. For so long, I resisted, but now I'm grown and I'm ready to accept what I must do. I've lost a lot of people in this fight. My father, before I was born, and another man who was the only father figure I ever had in my life. I lost my childhood and any semblance to a normal life. I've lost friends and strangers, all whose deaths weigh on me every day. But I've made my choice. It's time to make yours. Those that are controlling the terminators are determined to take this world away from us, but I'm not going to let them. Are you? Now, I know you've been told there's no going back, that you've signed the contract and you're in this for good, but I'm here to offer you a way out. I don't want anyone here who doesn't want to be here. None of you know where this facility is, and I'm willing to trust that you'll keep this operation a secret. If not, we have ways to protect ourselves, but I really hope if you decide to leave, you'll keep this one promise. You have 24 hours to decide. If I don't hear from you, I'll assume you're staying."

After a brief pause, he continued, this time looking directly at his mother.

"Remember, there is no fate but what you make."

* * *

It had been a long day, full of activity and anxiety, and all John wanted to do was get something to eat and take it back to his room where hopefully Cameron was, finished with her rounds. But as soon as John entered the mess hall, he knew he wouldn't be getting out any time soon. Not for the reason he originally feared. Sure, everybody took notice of him, but almost nobody actually paid any attention to him aside from an initial glance or two.

No, he would not be leaving the mess hall because Danny Dyson was there, just sitting down at a table by himself. There was no one in line, so John quickly got his food and stood behind the chair across from Danny. "This seat taken?"

Danny looked up, somewhat startled, and then looked around. "Doesn't look like it." Though he didn't exactly seem keen on John taking the seat either. But since Danny wasn't outright saying anything about it, John sat down anyway.

There was a long moment of awkward silence, each young man waiting for the other to speak. Not that neither had anything to say, but instead there seemed to be a game of chicken taking place. Whoever spoke first would lose, though who knows why.

In the end, Danny lost. "That was a nice speech you made," though by his tone John was sure the sentiment was in no way sincere.

"You were there?"

Danny looked at John, perplexed. "It was broadcast throughout the whole compound."

"Oh," was all John could say to that. He'd have to have a talk with John Henry later about running things like that by him first.

"I know you don't believe me," Danny said, completely out of the blue. But John let him talk, listening to him intently, careful though not to let on just how intently. "I really don't know why Skynet wants me, dead or otherwise. I know you think I'm building something or planning something, but I'm not. I never wanted anything to do with any of this, but I guess now I don't have a choice."

"You always have a choice." And even as the words left his mouth, John knew they weren't true. They're forcing Danny and Tarissa to stay here. There's not much choice in that. Danny seemed to understand that John noticed his mistake, because he didn't say anything about it. John, instead, changed the subject. "I know what it's like, you know? To grow up without a father, to have your life taken over, taken away, by Skynet. By machines."

"Yet you sleep with one."

The blow comes swift and hard, and John's fairly certain Danny doesn't know the exact nature of his relationship with Cameron. He's simply testing a theory, and John won't take the bait. He simply ignores Danny's comment. "I'm just saying I know what it's like. Parts are different, but the overlying theme is the same. I never wanted this, any of it, but now I'm seeing that I never had a choice." Danny scoffed, but John cut him off. "I never had a choice because what choice is there? How could I have turned away, knowing I could have done something? What kind of life would that be? It certainly wouldn't be better. I'd constantly be looking over my shoulder, worried someone or something would come for me. Or worse, that they'd finally succeeded in beginning the destruction of the world. So, you see, there was never any choice. But you don't have to be me, you only have to stay here, be safe. I'd say that's a hell of a deal."

Danny looks like he's about to say something, but he stops short, looking past John. From the tinge of disgust and fear in Danny's features, John knows Cameron is behind him. It's the first time in a long time he's not thrilled to see her. She just has crappy timing right now. John turned to invite Cameron to sit next to him, but he doesn't have to because she's already moving to do so. John checks to see how Danny's doing, relieved to see that he's still there—and not rearing up for a fight.

Not that Danny's ever shown any violence towards machines or Cameron, but John knows. He knows the hate that is bred from a life lost to the machines. He's not sure why he doesn't possess the same hate, but he thinks maybe his mother bore the grunt of that. John, instead, channels his hate into Skynet. Uncle Bob taught him that. And now he's trying to pass it on to Danny. That is, if he could stop scowling at Cameron long enough to actually pay attention.

"Cameron isn't your enemy," John starts, hoping Danny is listening.

"Her kind is. They killed my father."

John wants to correct him, to tell him that actually the SWAT team killed Miles Dyson, but he knows that's not the point, he knows it's not what Danny needs to hear right now. "Terminators, machines, they're all programmed, they have no choice, no free will. But I gave that to Cameron, and she's learned and grown so much. All it takes is simply removing the Skynet parameters—"

"Yeah, I know, I heard the speech. But how can you be sure?" Danny has a point, and it's something John left out of his speech earlier, to make things simpler.

"You don't know. I'm not going to lie. Not to you, Danny. Some of them revert back to their original programming. So far, we can only write over what Skynet put there, but I fully intend to fine tune the process, to make it more fool proof." John leaned forward, lowering his voice. "I'm going to tell you something I've never told anyone before. Cameron and my mother know because they were there, but no one else."

Danny leaned forward, almost unconsciously, his interest immediately piqued.

"On my 16th birthday, Cameron went out to buy me a cake." Danny rolled his eyes, obviously thinking John is telling him some story about how human Cameron could be. John continued, though. "This guy had hunted us down and planted a car bomb. Cameron was in the car when the bomb went off. She reverted back to her original programming and chased my mother and me around L.A. This went on for a couple of hours. Finally, we were able to trap her in between two trucks long enough for me to pull her chip out. Everyone wanted me to burn it, to burn her, but I couldn't. I believed in her, I believed that she was just confused, that she just needed a moment, some time to get her bearings. So I re-inserted her chip. And, well, I'm here, alive. I trust her. Despite the fact that, out of her control, she reverted back to Skynet mission directives, I trust that at the end of the day she'll fight to be with me. For over a year after that happened, without my knowledge, she had to constantly fight that programming from overpowering her. But she continued to win, daily. So when you ask me why I trust her? That's why.

Danny was silent, but John could tell he still hadn't gotten through to him. He glanced around the room. It didn't seem like anyone had overheard their conversation and he was thankful for that at least. He stood up slowly. "Come on, Cameron, I think it's time for us to go."

* * *

  
Sarah couldn't help watching her son with Danny Dyson. She didn't trust the kid any further than she could throw him, but part of her was glad John could spend some time with someone his age. It's been awhile. In fact, he's never really had any buddies or a best friend. Yet he is still more social than herself. Or Derek. Any version of him. She thinks maybe he gets that from Kyle. Even hardened as he was when she met him the first time around, there was always that spark, that compassion. Something she sometimes fears she lacks.

For example, right now, as she spies Cameron approaching John and Danny. Sarah is torn. No matter what happens with John and Cameron, she can't be happy. If Cameron were destroyed tomorrow in a fight, Sarah could not rejoice. Because she knows what that would do to John. It would turn him into herself. Possibly a more extreme version, even. Or worse, he would retreat into himself. Either way, she'd lose him forever. But she's not sure she can support him in this relationship. She's not stupid, not even closed-minded. Well, not completely. She sees his point. Cameron is not Skynet. She is—was—a tool. A slave, even. And now she's been reprogrammed and saved John's life probably more times than even Sarah herself has. But that doesn't change the fact that Cameron is a machine. A programmed machine, one which was originally programmed to kill her son. She still has nightmares of John's 16th birthday. Cameron pulling herself up from the fiery remains of their staircase. Cameron chasing them through Los Angeles stopping only to staple her face closed. Worst of all, Sarah's nightmare from the moment Cameron came into their lives only made real on that day, Cameron telling John she loves him. Utilizing her ultimate weapon of manipulation, whether it was a manipulation on her part at the time or not. Or, she should say, whether it was only a manipulation. Cameron could very well have meant what she said, or at least believe as much, but that doesn't mean she wasn't manipulating John.

And that's what is Sarah's true fear. That Cameron will always be John's weakness no matter what form their relationship takes. Sarah fought so hard to keep John from the machines for so long, and now she's not sure whether that led to this or whether nothing could have kept this from happening. Fate is what you make of it, but maybe there are some things you can never prevent.

"It must be hard for you." The voice startled Sarah, but she's trained enough not to show her disarmament. She recognized the voice, but didn't turn to greet the woman.

"I'm not sure what you mean."

Tarissa moved to Sarah's side, matching her sight line. "John and the robot." Sarah took a moment to consider Tarissa's observational skills. Cameron isn't even touching John, but then she realized that it's John that is transparent. His subtle, yet obvious if you're looking for it, awareness of Cameron broadcasts his feelings for her. She's sure, though, or at least she hopes, that most wouldn't notice it unless they were already aware of their relationship. Which is why Tarissa's observation is concerning.

Tarissa must sense Sarah's distress, because she explains, "To most, it's common sense. You see a young, handsome boy like that and a supposedly young, pretty, normal girl like her together so much, it gets you thinking."

"We used to tell people they were brother and sister," Sarah said, because she gets it. She knew, even back then, that most people would assume, especially the way they act around each other, that they are romantically involved, so she nipped that in the bud right away. But when John had returned from the future, he'd insisted on changing the story. Sarah knew immediately why John had made the decision, even if he had given other reasons for such at the time.

"From your tone, I assume it wasn't your idea to change the story."

"No. It was John's. He's rising to the occasion, becoming what he was always meant to be, what I fought so hard to keep him from having to become." Sarah's voice cracks a bit, so she takes a deep breath to calm herself. "There's nothing I can do. The damage is done. I should have just sent her away as soon as she came to us. But then…." She trailed off, because she knows what would have happened if she had refused to let Cameron into their lives. John would be dead. And without hesitation, she knows she'd rather John be with Cameron than be dead. There's no contest. And that's the rub. She never saw any other way for this to end. Even when John started spending time with Riley, she saw right through him. He was in denial. She was glad for that, anyway, to know that he was under no illusions. To know that he knew that this thing with Cameron wasn't natural, should not be rushed in to. And as much as she would have loved for him to have fought his growing feelings and deny Cameron, she knew her son. And she knew how he saw the machines, knew he has always had a soft spot for the ones that protect him. As much faith as she has in her son, she still knew there was no way of preventing his falling in love with Cameron.

Because, really, he was probably in love from the moment he met her. Every moment thereafter was a fight on his part not to let himself fall further.

"At any rate," Sarah continued, "there's nothing to be done now. I know my son, and I know what will happen to him if he loses her. Besides," Sarah shrugged, "she saves his life." She echos John's words from so long ago, words that Sarah had always known meant more than what they appeared to mean. She saves his life.

Sarah leaves Tarissa, not noticing that she can't seem to stop watching the table where the two sons and machine sit at.

* * *

It's fortunate that Xander Akagi is accustomed to staying up all night, John Henry thought to himself as he moved one of the small pebble-like 'Go' game pieces from its old spot to the desired new spot. John Henry found the game of 'Go' to be fascinating, and found he was pleased that the younger Akagi had suggested it.

It was now late in the morning, and save for a few necessary human breaks, John Henry and Xander had been playing the game since late the night before. At first, John Henry had been unsure about the new challenge. He was fascinated, of course, and looking forward to expanded his intellectual and strategic horizons, but seeing as he had spent so much time being the expert on so many things, it was unnerving to say the least to 'hand the reigns' (to use a human colloquialism) over to Xander.

But the challenge had been refreshing, and although he had yet to defeat Xander in a match, he was still sure he would eventually win against him. According to his calculations, each round of 'Go' yielded an average of a 0.6% increase in his performance. Additionally, it now takes Xander even longer each time to defeat John Henry. It's frustrating, at best, but John Henry is almost glad to know that there is still much to learn in this world.

Unfortunately, just as John Henry was on the cusp of gaining the upper hand, he was alerted to some troubling activity found in his cursory searches of the building, network, and the internet at large. Immediately, he notified Xander that they would have to continue their match at a later time and suggested he take some time to rest, before locating Mrs. Weaver in the building. Once he had, he spoke through the intercom, in such a way that it only was heard in the room she was standing in. "Mrs. Weaver. I have found something. Please come immediately."

John Henry watched as Mrs. Weaver liquified her form and rushed through the halls towards his room. When she arrived, she once again took the form of Catherine Weaver.

"Mrs. Weaver, I have detected some troubling internet activity."

Catherine waited for him to explain.

"Someone has been searching diligently for any information on Sarah Connor. News reports, sightings, even going as far as hacking into government records."

"That is troubling, John Henry. Have you tracked this activity?"

An IP address, as well as a physical address appeared on one of the screens behind John Henry.

Catherine nodded and said, "I will alert John to this at once."

* * *

Wexton watched as the notification window on his screen pinged up. His normal scowl turned into a slight smirk as he got up to prepare for his visitors.


End file.
